1) LAX is a frustrating airport to navigate. Signage is very poor and confusing, often having seemingly contradictory instructions, or simply do not include the option you’re looking for. For instance, the Air Canada check-in lines had “Self-Serve,” “Business Class” and “Baggage Check,” but not “I’m travelling with 3 high-maintenance kids in economy and I just need someone to tell me what to do and QUICKLY” line-up.

2) California has a LOT of people in it, most of them at Disneyland, Los Angeles and the beach. We like to think that Vancouver is a big city. Man, I am telling you, we don’t know from big.

3) Mother nature doesn’t care that you’re on vacation.

4) I like to travel, but my body doesn’t. I will spare you the gory details. Oh, except for one interesting tidbit. Too much travel combined with going on MANY rides designed to throw your centre of gravity off, can result in lasting vertigo. I am still feeling intermittently like I’m on a fast-moving, sudden-stopping elevator.

5) We need a hotel with a kitchenette and separate sleeping quarters for Mom and Dad.

6) One wearies quite quickly of ropes and stanchions indicating where one is supposed to line up. Because there are (as I may have mentioned) MANY people in California, there is a prevailing cattle mentality. Herd them over here. Herd them away from here. Talk to them in a tired, how-stupid-are-you voice when they do not comply. Mooo.

7) Generally, people are more extroverted in the States. I think that’s a good thing. We Vancouver-ites tend to be stand-offish to our detriment.

8. If you drive a hybrid in Los Angeles you can park for free in city metered areas.

9) California Adventure’s Tower of Terror is actually terrifying. I may have wet myself.

10) To a four-year-old, Mister Toad’s Wild Ride is actually terrifying. Griffin became scared of going into any caves or tunnels (of which there are a great many in Disneyland) because he was afraid that things were going to jump out at him from the shadows.

Sorry, I don’t mean for the list to indicate it was a lousy vacation. It was actually great. The hotel was really nice. Disneyland and California Adventure were loads of fun. Transport went all very smoothly in and of itself. And now we have all these shared memories, which is great.

Silvie and my afternoon in Los Angeles was lovely. We had lunch at Alcove, coffee treats at Peet’s Coffee, shopped in Larchmont, gaped at the beautiful houses in the Los Feliz district and even visited the Griffith’s Observatory (the seismic graph was a popular tourist attraction that day).

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